by CW Browning
Alina had been very clear about feeling responsible for everything that had happened to John, Angela, and Stephanie since she came back last year. Her priority would be to end this nightmare, and Stephanie knew that Viper didn’t care if that meant she died in the process.
Miller interrupted her thoughts when he let out a startled expletive. Stephanie and Blake glanced at each other, then Blake leaned forward slightly to look at their pilot.
“Everything okay?”
“Sorry. I forgot I had the intercom system on,” Miller said, glancing over his shoulder at them. “Hold on.”
Blake sat back with a frown as Miller switched to one of the other radio frequencies that he’d been using to communicate with his base. He looked at Stephanie and she met his gaze, her frown mirroring his. Blake dropped his gaze and glanced at his watch.
“We should be getting close,” he said, looking out his window. “I wonder where Michael took Angela?”
“The closest barrier island is St. Simons,” Stephanie said after a moment. He looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. “I looked it up before we left. You never know what will happen. If something goes wrong and I end up swimming in the Atlantic, I want to know where I have to swim for.”
Blake stared at her for a beat. “Are you being serious?”
“Yes.”
“Steph, we’re on a Coast Guard chopper!” he exclaimed with a laugh. “You wouldn’t have to swim. They rescue people every day. It’s what they do!”
She made a face at him. “I just like to be prepared.”
He was still laughing when Lt. Miller switched back to the intercom system.
“Well, we have a development,” he said, “and it’s not a good one. We lost our satellite.”
“What?” Stephanie sat forward. “How?”
“No idea. We’re not getting the feed anymore. They’re working on getting it back, but right now we’re blind.”
“Well, we still know where the boat is, right?” Blake asked. “We can be the eyes until it comes back online.”
“That’s the other problem. We have a crew waiting just inside territorial water and they’ve been holding steady radar contact with the Sea Queen.”
Stephanie felt a wave of apprehension go through her and she swallowed.
“And?” she managed to get out around the sudden lump in her throat.
“They’ve lost radar contact. It’s almost like the ship just disappeared.”
“How is that possible?” Blake demanded.
“In theory? It’s not,” Lt. Miller said grimly. “It’s like they disappeared into a black hole.”
“So we don’t know where they are?”
“We know where they were twenty minutes ago. That’s our starting point.”
“What can cause a blackout like that?” Stephanie asked, her voice sounding strained even to herself.
It was a moment before the Lieutenant answered her. When he finally did, his voice was somber.
“Complete mechanical and electrical failure.”
Stephanie felt her chest tighten and she gripped the arms of the seat tightly. Lt. Miller was trying to be diplomatic, but it was clear that he had shifted into search and rescue mode.
Blake reached over, closing one strong hand around hers, and she took a deep breath.
“How far are we from their last location?” he asked Miller.
“Two minutes out.” Miller looked over his shoulder at them. “I’m turning on the lights. It’s going to get bright out there.”
A moment later, Stephanie looked out the window and blinked. Miller hadn’t been exaggerating. The dark waves below were suddenly illuminated with a bright light, an endless expanse of ocean that looked strangely calm given the drama unfolding on its surface.
“What’s the plan when we find the yacht?” Blake asked, looking out his window.
“I radio back a sitrep.”
Stephanie shook her head. “That’s it? And then what? You just fly away and wait?”
“I’ll circle and get footage and send it back,” Miller replied. “Until I get different orders, the original plan stands. We observe and report and then head back.”
“What if it’s sinking?!”
“Then a rescue crew will launch.”
Miller’s voice was absurdly calm and it grated on Stephanie’s already raw nerves. She looked at Blake in frustration and he shook his head, his jaw clenching. He didn’t like it any more than she did, but there was nothing either of them could do.
She turned her attention out the window, searching the ocean below for some sign of the missing yacht. Her heart pounded against her ribs and she felt her palms getting damp as her stomach clenched. Alina and Damon were still on that ship, and now they had lost all communication with the outside world. Even if the yacht was still afloat, which Miller seemed to think was increasingly unlikely, they were alone in the middle of the ocean with one of the most vicious cartels in Mexico.
God, I’m not a praying woman, but if you save Lina and Damon, I promise I will be, she prayed silently, her eyes fixed on the waves below. It’s too late for John, but it’s not too late for them. I’ll even go to mass. Just don’t let them be dead.
“Hey,” Blake said, squeezing her hand.
She looked at him, knowing he could see the fear on her face. She didn’t care. It wasn’t something she couldn’t hide now even if she tried.
“Remember what they do,” he said softly. “More importantly, remember where and how they served their country. They’re squids. If anyone is qualified to handle a situation at sea, they are.”
“What the hell is a squid?” Stephanie demanded after a minute.
Blake grinned. “A Navy wuss.”
She choked back an almost hysterical laugh.
“I can’t think of anyone less wussy than them. Except maybe Rambo, but I think she even has him beat.”
“After the parking garage, I’d probably agree.” He squeezed her hand once more and then released it. “Have some faith.”
He turned his attention back out the window and Stephanie took a deep breath, returning her gaze to the waves far below. Blake was right, on both counts. Damon had been a Navy SEAL, and Alina had joined the Navy after being on and around boats since she was a kid. She had to have a little faith, not just in their ability to survive but also in the fact that their training was far superior to anything she could even imagine.
“There she is!” Miller called out suddenly, breaking into the intercom. “The Sea Queen’s still there!”
Stephanie strained to see from her window, but all she could see were empty waves. She looked over to Blake’s side and then leaned forward between Miller and his co-pilot to look out the front windshield.
The bright spotlights from the helicopter lit up the superyacht in the night, making it look very small and insignificant in the vast expanse of waves. It bobbed far below them, dark and silent.
“They’ve lost power,” the co-pilot said. “That’s why there’s no signal for the radar to pick up. Look. Her lights are out and there’s no wake behind her.”
“She doesn’t appear to have any structural damage from this angle,” Miller said. “I’ll circle her. Maybe there’s something on the other side.”
Stephanie stared at the yacht, straining to see any movement on any of the decks, but they were just too far away. They flew around to the right, placing the yacht on Stephanie’s side of the helicopter. She sat back in her seat and peered out her window, picking the boat out of the waves a minute later.
“Can you see anyone?” Blake asked, leaning towards her to look out the window.
She shook her head. “No.”
The helicopter circled around, and Stephanie lost the ship until Miller approached again, this time from the front. The yacht was still on the left, and she and Blake both peered down at the motionless ship, searching for movement.
“I don’t see anything wrong on this side either,” Miller said. “I’m going cl
oser.”
“I don’t even see the distress flares,” his co-pilot said. “They should have them lit by now.”
“I don’t like it,” Blake murmured. “What the hell is going on down there?”
Stephanie didn’t answer as the lieutenant brought the helicopter closer to the stranded vessel. The lack of light on the ship was eerie and she repressed a shiver of foreboding. Now that Miller had brought them in closer, she could see the top decks more clearly. A second later she inhaled sharply just as Blake let out a low curse.
“Are those bodies?!” the co-pilot exclaimed.
“Looks like it,” Miller said grimly. “There’s our confirmation of the shots fired.”
Stephanie’s chest tightened and she was having trouble breathing. Bodies were strewn throughout the upper and lower decks, spread over the ship and giving a macabre picture of just how many shots had been fired. She scanned the decks, desperately searching for movement, any sign of life at all.
Miller circled around to the other side again, once more approaching from the stern. Because they were lower and closer now, Stephanie clearly saw the back deck and an open and empty alcove that looked just big enough to fit a small boat. More bodies littered the deck, and one was even incongruously draped over a chaise lounge.
“It’s like a ghost-ship,” Blake said, his voice low. “It’s something you’d expect to see in an old pirate movie.”
Stephanie could only nod, not trusting her voice. The bright spotlights lit up the side of the yacht as the helicopter began to move forward along the side, and she let out a gasp as her heart surged into her throat.
“There!” she cried, pointing. “On the back deck. Someone’s still alive!”
Miller hovered in place as they all turned their attention back to the stern of the yacht. Sure enough, caught in the white wash of light from the helicopter, a door opened and a figure appeared on the deck. They limped out, slightly hunched over, and one arm clutched the favored side. Then, as if forcing themselves to move, the figure went toward the chaise-lounge with the body draped over it. They pushed something out of the way on the deck and bent to pull an object from underneath the chair.
“What the hell is that?” Blake asked, staring. “Is that...is that a bag?”
Stephanie shook her head and they all watched as the figure hooked the bag over its shoulders like a backpack, turning toward the edge of the deck. Relief robbed Stephanie of breath and she grabbed Blake’s hand in a death grip. The light illuminated Alina’s face as she turned toward the helicopter, glancing up towards them. She seemed to hesitate for a second, staring up at the chopper, then she looked at her watch and moved to the railing.
“She’s alive!” Stephanie finally found her voice, her heart racing. “She’s okay!”
Blake squeezed her hand. “I told you there was nothing to—”
He cut off abruptly as the pitch dark yacht was suddenly filled from within by a strange, white and yellow surge of light. The yacht lurched and almost seemed to contract in the middle as if it was taking a deep breath. It was eerily still for a split second before multiple explosions ripped through it, sudden and fierce in the darkness.
“Pull up!!!”
The helicopter rose swiftly as the yacht blew into pieces below them, the force of the explosion propelling flames, glass and wood into the air. A piece of what looked like metal streaked past the window and the helicopter shuddered from the air pressure pushing upwards below them.
“LINA!!!” Stephanie screamed, staring at the blazing inferno in horror as the helicopter pulled higher and away from the debris flying in all directions. “Wait! Go back!”
“Are you crazy?” Miller demanded. “It’s a damn miracle nothing hit us!”
“She’s down there!” Stephanie cried. “We have to help her!”
Silence greeted that and she tore her eyes away from the flames and splintered ship below. The look on Blake’s face made her catch her breath and she found herself shaking her head even as tears filled her eyes.
“We can’t just leave her!”
Blake gripped her hand.
“Steph, we have to,” he said, his voice strained. “Even if we could get down there, there’s flames and oil all over the surface of the water. There’s no way to get to her.”
“A rescue crew is on its way,” Miller said, glancing over his shoulder. “I...I’m sorry.”
Stephanie looked back out the window, straining to see the flames that were rapidly growing smaller as the distance between them grew. Tears streamed unheeded down her face as anguish welled up inside her, constricting her chest and choking her. Gasping for breath, she stared at the receding wreckage where Alina was still trapped in the water.
Blake’s arm went around her shoulders and she realized she was violently shaking as he pulled her close.
“She’s still down there,” she sobbed, “and we’re just leaving her there!”
Blake had no answer. He simply held her close to him as the flames faded into the night behind them.
Chapter Forty-Two
Jack glanced at his watch and sipped from a mug of hot tea, raising his gaze back to one of the monitors on the wall. It displayed the position of HMS Trident, one of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines, in real-time. The screens on either side of the main monitor were also running information in real-time, one from a designated satellite feed and the other from a sonar relay from the submarine. It was the satellite feed that had him scowling. It had gone dark twenty minutes before and, so far, all attempts to get it back up had failed.
“Sir?”
Jones spoke quietly at his shoulder and Jack turned his head questioningly.
“It’s the Prime Minister, sir,” he said apologetically. “He’s on the line for you.”
He nodded and set his tea down, turning to follow his assistant out of the situation room. Once in the corridor, he took the cell phone from Jones.
“You’re getting an early start, sir.”
“I have you to thank for that, Jack,” the Prime Minister said cheerfully. “I’ve just finished reading the report you sent over a few hours ago.”
“Ah yes, I thought that would get your attention.”
“Is the information credible?”
“Very.”
“Do you mean that we might actually be able to get a resolution on this?” he asked incredulously. “According to your report, this has been ongoing for over twelve years!”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the weapons were sold to the insurgents? OUR weapons?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And we have the proof? The money trail?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, how the bloody hell did you manage it? None of your predecessors had any joy. I’m told it was relegated to a filing cabinet years ago.”
“I can’t take credit for this one, sir. The information was offered to me by an American agent and her organization.”
Silence ensued, then the Prime Minister cleared his throat. “CIA?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure,” Jack admitted. “I think they’re part of an elite outfit within Washington, but which umbrella they fall under is a mystery.”
“How is that possible? I thought we knew everything about the US and their covert teams.”
“So did I, sir, but obviously we don’t.”
“Well, that’s unsettling.”
Jack chuckled. “Yes, it is. But to be honest, I’m very grateful so little is known about them. The agent saved my life, sir. Twice.”
“Afghanistan?” The Prime Minister asked sharply.
“Quite.”
“Well, that’s something,” he said, mollified. “I’m assuming this is tied in with the operation I approved earlier?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you for that, by the way. I know it was very short notice. It’s underway now.”
“Yes, well, how’s it coming?”
“I’ll know more in the next hour.”
�
��Then I’ll let you get back to it. Whatever you need, you have it. I don’t want this getting out any more than they do. The press on it would be nothing short of disastrous. That’s the last thing we need right now.”
“Understood, sir.”
Jack disconnected and handed the phone to Jones, turning to go back into the darkened room filled with personnel. Admiral Jessup looked up as he re-entered, his sharp eyes meeting Jack’s.
“We’re making contact with the Trident now,” he said, nodding to the monitors. “We got the satellite back, at last. It confirmed that the yacht is gone.”
“Gone?” Jack demanded, his eyes flying to the satellite feed. “Where did it go?”
“Ethan?” Jessup addressed one of the senior officers a few feet away.
“I don’t think it went anywhere, sir,” that man said, turning away from a computer monitor to look at Jack. “I think it sunk.”
Jack turned his attention back to the large monitor. “How the hell would that happen?”
“My best guess is some kind of explosion.” The man turned to look at one of this techs. “Mandy, play back that section just before we lost the feed.”
The young tech nodded and pulled something up on her screen.
“Put it on the big screen.”
A moment later, Jack was watching a playback of the satellite feed of the Sea Queen. The yacht was dark and still on the waves.
“It doesn’t look like it’s in distress,” he said.
“Exactly. Keep watching.”
Jack obediently continued to watch. After about twenty seconds, there was some kind of flash throughout the inside of the yacht, then the screen went dark. His head snapped around.
“Where did it go?”
“That’s where we lost the feed,” Jessup answered, standing. “We went through the sonar relay from the Trident, and there is no vessel there now. Whatever happened, it happened quickly. That’s why we think it was an explosion.”